Romans 14:22a - Keeping Faith to Yourself

Romans 14:22a - The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God.


Message: Convictions are not doctrine

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome

What the Lord is Saying:

It is important here to stay with the context of the passage and not veer away from it. This is a chapter on Christian liberty, or how to conduct myself in a world in which questions arise that are often outside the realm of an explicit direction or commandment or lesson from the Bible. God knew this would happen. God expected this to happen. God clearly wants this to happen. And so in this happening, what is to be my response through those questions? Or how am I to respond to my brother that has a difference of opinion and Paul states from the very beginning that these are "opinions (verse 1)."

1. I am to accept my brother. Don't allow the difference to divide. (verse 1)
2. Do not use the difference as an opportunity to judge my brother (verse 3, 4)
3. Each person can praise and thank God even though there are differences (verse 6)
4. Each person is the Lord's and belongs to the Lord (verse 8)
5. Each person is accountable to the Lord (verse 12)
6. Do not be a stumbling block to your brother (verse 13)
7. Be careful that your life lines up with your beliefs (verse 16)
8. Pursue peace and building one another up (verse 19)

Those are some of the ideas that I glean from this passage. I am sure someone else may come up with different conclusions. 

This leads me to today's verse, "The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God." Differences are often the result of convictions. These convictions are important, but these convictions are not doctrine. I am to have that conviction between me and God, but not shove it onto another person. Often, the best course of action is to keep my convictions to myself, so as to not create a stumble for my brother.

I have a conscience that helps me as a person decide between right and wrong.  My conscience is informed, though, by Scripture.

Promise: I am to persuade others with gentleness and patience, not with arrogance.